Hey there. For most of my life I thought weight loss was about finding the perfect plan. I jumped from program to program, diet to diet, always believing the next one would finally be the answer. And maybe you have done the same. You’ve tried dozens of approaches over the years and some of them worked for a little while. Some of them even felt enjoyable at the time. But eventually, most of them left you frustrated and starting over again.
What I have learned is that none of those programs are the foundation. The real foundation is you. It’s your preferences, your likes, your dislikes, and the routines you actually enjoy doing. Because when you build from your preferences, consistency becomes natural. You don’t have to force yourself to stick with something that doesn’t feel like you. You already want to do it.
Think of it like a puzzle. When you build a puzzle, the first pieces you place are the border. Once the border is set, you know where the rest of the pieces fit. Your foundation in fitness works the same way. When you build it around your preferences, you have something solid that helps you decide whether new programs, tools, or gadgets fit into your life. If they do, great, add them. If they don’t, you set them aside and return to your foundation.
The fitness industry makes this harder than it should be. It thrives on keeping us insecure, always searching for the latest and greatest solution. But if you step back, take a calm and deliberate approach, and put your preferences at the center, you’ll see that you don’t need the industry to tell you what works. You already know what you enjoy. And enjoyment is the secret to sustainability.
This is also where the inside/out approach matters. It’s not about shaping yourself into something the industry says you should be. It’s about building peace with yourself and creating a lifestyle you can carry with you for decades. What you enjoy at thirty may not be what you enjoy at sixty. Your foundation will shift, but it will always be yours. That makes the process less overwhelming and a lot more freeing.
So stop chasing the perfect plan. Build your own. Start with the things you actually enjoy. Add new pieces when they fit, and don’t be afraid to leave pieces out when they don’t. That is how you build something sustainable. That is how you build a forever active lifestyle.
If you’re ready to take this approach for yourself, I’d love to work with you. Join one of The YLF Experience programs today and start building a foundation that truly fits your life.